The Old Republic Era

During the Era of The Old Republic, Jedi battle against Sith Lords, Mandalorian warriors raid Outer Rim worlds, and the Republic struggles to fight off enemies at every turn. Smugglers dodge Sith warships and bluff their way past Republic customs agents, while bounty hunters and mercenaries play both sides of every conflict for the greatest profit. Soldiers fight on distant battlefields and defend planets close to home. Vast empires rise, fall, and are reborn. This is the time of The Old Republic Era, and it is one of the most exciting periods in all Star Wars continuity.

In these years of conflict, your heroes have limitless opportunities to become part of the galaxy's salvation- or it's destruction. It is a time of constant warfare, when peace has become little more than a memory and survival is threatened by armies in all parts of the galaxy. It is a time when The Jedi are in abundance, fighting on all fronts, only to be whittled down to near extinction over the course of several conflicts. It is a time when civilization is under siege; warlords and Force-users struggle to unmake the Republic and sow the seeds of chaos. It is a time of mysterious enemies and sudden betrayals, when allies turn to foes, and you never see the Lightsaber until it is buried in your back. It is a time when new powers are on the rise, and anyone can ascend to greatness.

An Old Republic Campaign calls for heroes. A hero might be a Jedi Knight, sworn to protect the Republic but reeling from losses in previous wars. Another hero might be a Republic soldier on the front lines of battle, fighting with every ounce of effort to hold the line against Mandalorian invaders. One hero might be an arms dealer smuggling weapons to resistance cells on Sith-controlled worlds, while another might be a Hyperspace explorer that stumbles across a secret rallying point for the forces of the Republic. A hero might be a corporate agent overseeing the construction of vital defense systems, or a Jedi Shadow working behind the scenes to bring down a sinister villain. Whatever your hero's history and speciality, an Old Republic Campaign is rife with opportunities to send ripples of influence throughout the galaxy.

Contents

The Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide focuses on the period between the Great Sith War and the final destruction of the old Sith Empire. During this time, the galaxy is embroiled in one war after another, and The Jedi are all but wiped out. Gamemasters have several choices for when, specifically, they might set a Knights of the Old Republic campaign. The following list is of major conflicts and eras of this time.

The Great Sith War begins with the fall of two Jedi students to The Dark Side: Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma. The spirit of an ancient Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos, tempts the two Jedi and trains them in the ancient teachings of The Sith. Flush with power, the two new Sith Lords lead the forces of The Krath- a Dark-Side cult founded on The Deep Core world of Empress Teta- in a war against the Republic. As the galaxy becomes embroiled in a conflict between the Sith and the Republic, many Jedi fight on either side of the battle. Some defend the Republic from their former comrades, while others are tempted by the lure of The Dark Side.

The Great Sith War takes an interesting turn with lasting repercussions when Ulic Qel-Droma vanquishes Lord Mandalore in single combat. This binds the Mandalorian clans to the Sith Lord, and he uses their prowess and numbers to redouble the Sith war effort. With both The Krath and The Mandalorians at their command, the Sith ravage the galaxy and deal the Republic blow after blow, staggering their forces. As more and more Sith train on the planet Korriban, thousands of Jedi die at the hands of Krath and Mandalorian forces.

The tide turns once more in favor of the Republic as the brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma engage in a vicious duel on Ossus. After slaying Cay, a despondent Ulic surrenders to the Jedi Nomi Sunrider. Following his capture, the Republic begins an offensive that drives the forces of the Sith back, eventually shattering the Krath forces, routing The Mandalorians, and scattering the few remaining Sith to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Crippled by the prolonged war effort, the Republic cannot pursue the Sith forces, and Korriban remains under Sith control.

The Great Sith War is a devastating event that causes more damage than any conflict since the Great Hyperspace War a thousand years before. The Jedi Order, greatly depleted, turns inward to heal itself, increasing the responsibilities of a Republic that is barely standing. Piracy is rampant. Trade routes, which had been blazed and developed over centuries at enormous cost, require redevelopment at nearly every stop. Nearly one quarter of the civilized worlds in the Republic have been devastated by the conflict, and most worlds are left on their own to rebuild as the Republic's resources are depleted.

With the Republic itself on the verge of collapse for over a decade following the war, a group of politicians put into motion a series of events that eventually restores the Republic to its prior strength. By guaranteeing the various corporations throughout the galaxy safe passage and trade along the space lanes in exchange for commercial investment in the Republic's infrastructure, the Republic is able to rebuild its military and provide much-needed goods to the devastated people of the galaxy. Hyperspace explorers once again begin scouting the galaxy in earnest, discovering newer and safer routes. Across the galaxy, planets begin to rebuild, commerce resumes, and the Republic's military might is reestablished.

The enemies of the Republic are far from inactive during this time, however. The Sith who fled back to Korriban bide their time and keep a low profile, while those who had fled to The Unknown Regions practice their dark arts in secret. The Mandalorians continue their nomadic existence, rebuilding their ranks and continuing the Mandalorian tradition. Though The Sith would remain silent for a time, The Mandalorians marshal their forces in secret for a return to the galactic stage.

The first battles of The Mandalorian Wars begin nearly a year before the Mandalorians' major invasion. The nomadic mercenary army begins testing the rebuilt Republic's defenses by raiding Outer Rim worlds and interrupting trade routes, forcing the Republic to push its resources further than they were prepared for. When the Republic has been stretched thin across The Outer Rim, The Mandalorians launch a major offensive, invading worlds and devastating the Republic military in battle after battle. As The Mandalorians launch focused strikes against the Republic's poorly defended targets, chaos spreads throughout a Republic that fears the devastation of The Great Sith War.

After a series of military failures, the Republic once again turns to The Jedi Order for aid. Having been hit the hardest by the casualties of The Great Sith War, the Jedi Order refuses, at first, to join the military effort. However, among the Jedi are a few who cannot stand by while the Mandalorian invasion batters at the Republic's defenses, including a powerful Jedi called Revan. Revan leads other like-minded Jedi into battle once more, despite the Order's directive that they should not be involved. After victories against The Mandalorians, even more Jedi flock to Revan's call. Over time, the Republic cedes control of many of its military assets to the Jedi, and the Mandalorian Wars begin in full.

As battles rage across the galaxy, Mandalorians win victories against the Republic and the Republic reclaims territories lost to The Mandalorians. Quickly, Jedi such as Revan and their apprentice, Malak, become war heroes. After years of violent conflict, the Republic finally manages to repel The Mandalorians with a devastating victory at Malachor V. There, the Mandalorian forces are nearly wiped out. The surviving Mandalorians go into exile, and the Jedi are heralded as saviors of the Republic. Surprisingly, though, Revan and Malak gather the remnants of their fleets and flee into The Unknown Regions. For a short few months, peace reigns in the Republic once more, but questions surround the departure of the Jedi.

Celebration of victory over The Mandalorians soon turns bitter when Revan and Malak return from The Unknown Regions at the head of a massive Sith Armada. Darth Revan and Darth Malak, now Dark Lords of the Sith, quickly reclaim the planet Korriban, seize control of a large swath of Republic space and declare themselves the leaders of a new Sith Empire. While in The Unknown Regions, Revan and Malak steep themselves in the teaching of those Sith who had been defeated in The Great Sith War, and empowered by the Jedi victories in The Mandalorian Wars they set out to conquer the galaxy. The Sith military continue their assaults on Republic worlds, conquering one planet after another, embroiling the galaxy in conflict once more.

Even though the Republic military that travel with Revan and Malak have long since been corrupted by The Dark Side, upon their return they are joined by many other Republic loyalists. Former comrades-in-arms now fight one another in desperate battles. A Republic already damaged by The Mandalorian Wars struggles to fight off a new enemy made up of their former allies. Many worlds voluntarily join the Sith, believing that because Revan and Malak saved them from The Mandalorians they are more fit to lead than the Republic. Revan recruits to their cause those Jedi who will follow them, and attacks the rest, forcing The Jedi to choose between joining The Sith or death.

A Jedi strike force alters the course of the Jedi Civil War by boarding a Starship controlled by Revan and Malak, engaging the two Sith Lords in combat. Malak turns on his master, and Revan is struck down, only to be saved by a young Jedi named Bastila Shan. A captive of the Jedi, Revan's memory is erased and their identity rebuilt as a loyal agent of the Republic. This ruse does not last long, and soon Revan rediscovers who they are and what they had done. Rejecting their former self and embracing the way of the light, Revan retraces their steps and discovers a massive artifact known as The Star Forge, aboard which they duel and vanquish their former apprentice, Malak, ending The Jedi Civil War.

After Darth Malak's defeat at the Battle of Rakata Prime, the forces of The Sith fall into chaos. Retreating from the continued attacks by the Republic, the Sith Empire fragments into hundreds of smaller territories ruled over by Sith warlords. The few remaining Dark Lords of the Sith fight with one another over scraps of their Empire, damaging themselves as much as the Republic. While the Republic rebuilds it's forces, the Sith seem content to eradicate themselves, as each Dark Lord of the Sith becomes determined to be the new leader of the Sith Empire.

Though The Sith are at war with themselves, a small number of Sith Lords band together to form new leadership for their crumbling Empire. Three Sith Lords, Darth Nihilus, Darth Sion, and Darth Traya, decide to restore their former power by eliminating the greatest threat facing The Sith: The Jedi Order. Over the course of several months, these Sith Lords dispatch assassins and strike forces to eliminate the few remaining members of the Jedi Order. In the middle of the Dark Wars, the Jedi order collapses and only a few survivors escape death at the hands of the Sith.

The Sith Triumvirate eliminates The Jedi and seizes control of the failing Sith Empire, planning to reclaim lost territory and launch a united offensive once more. However, these plans are dashed when a Jedi survivor slays all three members of the Sith Triumvirate and helps eliminate the last of the Sith threat. At the end of the Dark Wars, the Jedi survivors begin to rebuild their Order, the Republic solidifies it's forces, and the galaxy is once again peaceful and prosperous.

The following timeline covers many of the major events in The Old Republic Era. While it is by no means completely comprehensive, it covers the rise and defeat of major antagonists across the four wars in the setting, and should give Gamemasters a good idea of when to set their campaigns.

4000 BBY: Satal and Aleema Keto discover ancient secrets of The Sith, including artifacts and tomes of knowledge, on their home planet of Empress Teta. Satal and Aleema Keto recruit hundreds of fellow aristocrats and form The Krath, a Dark Side cult based on Sith teachings.

3997 BBY: The Jedi are ambushed by Krath forces during a conclave on the planet Deneba, causing massive Jedi casualties. After the battle, Ulic Qel-Droma departs and begins to infiltrate the upper echelons of The Krath.

3997 BBY: Exar Kun, a Jedi apprentice, abandons his master to delve deeper into the secrets of The Dark Side, traveling the galaxy in search of Sith lore. On Korriban, Kun is educated in the ways of The Sith and soon is elevated to the rank of Dark Lord of The Sith.

3997 BBY: After The Jedi attempt to extract him from the Krath-held world of Empress Teta, Ulic Qel-Droma succumbs to the pull of The Dark Side. When Exar Kun arrives to stake his claim as Dark Lord of The Sith, he and Qel-Droma duel, but stop when ancient Sith spirits appear and declare them both Dark Lords of The Sith, master and apprentice. Many Jedi flock to the newly reborn Sith Order, forming a hierarchy of lesser Sith Lords.

3996 BBY: The Krath forces, under the control of the Dark Lords of The Sith, begin expanding their newly formed empire, seizing worlds throughout The Deep Core. The Krath's ability to control the planets they have conquered is strained until Ulic Qel-Droma defeats Mandalore the Indomitable in a duel on the planet Kuar. With The Mandalorians bound to the Sith Lords, their combined forces flow outward from The Deep Core and begin conquering planets across the galaxy.

3996 BBY: After months of conquering planets from The Deep Core to The Outer Rim, The Sith launch their attack against the capital planet of the Republic, Coruscant. During the battle, Ulic Qel-Droma is captured and subsequently put on trial for treason.

3996 BBY: Aleemo Keto, leading the forces of The Krath in battle near the Cron Cluster, is killed after activating a supernova-inducing weapon aboard her warship. The Krath space fleet is devastated.

3996 BBY: After an intense battle at Onderon, Mandalore the Indomitable is killed and The Mandalorians suffer a stunning defeat.

3963 BBY: As the Republic continues to battle The Mandalorians across all fronts, Revan attempts to persuade the Jedi Council to join the war. The council refuses, claiming that their losses during The Great Sith War were too great.

3960 BBY: Revan and their apprentice, Malak, take a large segment of the Republic fleet and vanish into The Unknown Regions. They rediscover The Star Forge, declare themselves Dark Lords of The Sith, and corrupt the Republic forces under their control.

3959 BBY: Darth Revan and Darth Malak return to the Republic, at the head of the newly constructed Sith Fleet. They begin their conquest of the galaxy, carving out a new Sith Empire and seizing control of Korriban, where they establish a new academy.

3958 BBY: Many among the Republic's military forces defect to The Sith Empire, including Saul Karath. Jedi start to flock to Darth Revan's banner, and The Sith Empire begins to swallow up Republic worlds. The Sith carry out successful attacks at Foerost and Telos IV, among other worlds.

3957 BBY: A Jedi task force captures Darth Revan aboard their flagship after Darth Malak turns on his master and attempts to kill them. Revan's memory is erased, and the Jedi flee with them back to Republic space.

3956 BBY: Revan once again turns to The Jedi Order and begins relearning the ways of The Force. Accompanied by Bastila Shan, Revan retraces their steps in the pursuit of The Star Forge, eventually discovering the truth behind their past.

3954 BBY: Sith assassins, under orders from Darth Sion, begin a wide-spread assassination campaign against The Jedi. The Jedi are all but wiped out, and the Republic is left without it's Jedi defenders for the first time in centuries.

3954 BBY: The remnants of The Sith Empire are largely unified by Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus. Though some Sith warlords continue to squabble over territory, Sion and Nihilus represent the most unified front for The Sith during this time.

3951 BBY: Canderous Ordo, now the Mandalore, reunites the Mandalorian clans and aids in the fight against the remnants of The Sith Empire.

3951 BBY: Under the guidance of a disguised Darth Traya, The Exile defeats Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus. Bao-Dur activated The Mass Shadow Generator on Malachor V again, destroying what is left of the planet, and Traya is defeated.

3950 BBY: The last remnants of The Sith Empire crumble, and the Republic once again establishes control over worlds that have been under Sith rule since The Great Sith War.